The Clarkstown North High School student and New City resident says he earned an audition on "American Idol," and there was no way he was going to blow it. "I knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I said I was going to use it to show them what I have," says Cohen.

Cohen got his golden ticket, as well as a trip to Hollywood and entrance into the next round of judging. While he is forbidden by the show to say what happens next, his mother, Lisa, had no trouble expressing how she felt about her talented son. "The thing I'm most proud of is not just the music and the talent, but the person he is," she says.